The Art Of: Companion Piece
by xXFindingForeverXx
Summary: 4. (Part 2) All he wanted was a father and he's sorry. So damn sorry that he's going to die in this city and they may never know how much he loved them.
1. Chapter 1

Emma and Henry had been driving around for just under two hours. When she'd walked into the house she'd been excited at the prospect of an empty house. She loved being with Henry and Regina, she really did, but she needed some time to sort out some things back home. Namely, her on-again-off-again relationship with the father of her child, Neal, and her new beau who just so happened to be happened to be Neal's best friend. She'd spent most of the day avoiding both of their calls and at a shooting range outside of the city just to blow off steam. She'd had more than enough to think of, her conversation with Regina and subsequent conversation with Henry around breakfast time after the aforementioned woman had gone to work was at the forefront for most of the day.

How all that could have gotten her here, sitting in a small yellow bug with her fuming son, was beyond her.

"Do you want to talk about it? We're almost to Frederick and I'm running out of gas," she joked, trying her hardest to lighten the mood.

Henry shook his head and let out a deep breath.

She'd never been in this situation before so she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. More than anything she wished she'd had the chance to at least touch base with Regina about what exactly had happened between them. Henry was a sweet, genuine boy but he saw the world much differently than both of his mothers. Henry had a habit of romanticizing situations, an idealist. And Regina, of course, was a realist through and through. And then there was Emma who had spent her formative years bouncing from foster home to foster home. She had a tendency to be pessimistic at the best of times but still in all she believed in doing the right thing no matter what.

"Come on, kiddo. Give me a hint or something," she pleaded, exasperated.

"We argued. I said something… I didn't mean it, I swear!" Henry rushed out. Emma looked over at him and frowned at the wetness she saw in his eyes. She nodded her head and pulled over into the shoulder. Once parked, she pulled him into her arms and allowed him to cry, his face pressed against her chest.

Emma closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his short brown hair, wondering how Regina was taking it all. One thing she knew, despite the very cold shoulder the other woman often regarded her with, Regina was just as sensitive as Henry was, if not more so. That sensitivity was what made her such a good mother and such a good woman in general.

"I said-I-I said that sh-she wa-wasn't my m-m-m-mother," Henry hiccupped before telling Emma about the exact happening of their argument. Emma pulled back from him and grimaced at the absolutely shattered look on his face.

"Henry, why would you say something like that? I-I get that you were upset about New York but we could have tried another year. And you know you're always welcomed to visit me," Emma winced, obviously telling him that morning hadn't been a good idea. All that did was leave him time to sit and stew in his anger. She should have waited until they were all under the same roof and able to properly talk things out.

"I just was so angry, mom. I didn't mean it, I swear! But she just… she always does this," Henry grunted as he shrugged her arms off.

Emma cocked her head to the side," What do you mean?"

"When we lived in Maine everything was good, we were happy and then I was getting closer to Grandma and she made us leave. And then when we lived in Boston there was this guy, Sidney, he liked mom a lot. And he was even talking about marrying her and she pulled me out of school and just up and left. I loved Sidney. He was a really good guy, mom. When I told her she moved us," Henry explained. Emma nodded her head and furrowed her brow.

She didn't know much about Regina, on a personal level, but she was aware of the nonexistent relationship between the older woman and her mother. All Regina ever said was that it was toxic and she didn't want that around their son. But she'd never heard anything about her being almost engaged again. She did know that Regina was once married. And that it hadn't ended well.

"Henry, I don't know all the details about those things and I don't think you do either. Instead of just believing whatever you want why don't you ask her? If there's anything I know about your mom, it's that she loves you and she'll do whatever she has to in order to protect you and make you happy. Aren't you happy in DC?" Emma asked, her hands now in her lap.

"I am and I know… I know she loves me. I love her too. I just… why won't she ever let me do what I want sometimes? I know I sound like a brat…"

"Glad you said it instead of me," Emma interjected goodheartedly.

Henry smiled slightly at that before continuing," I just want to be able to make my own choices once in a while. If I want a relationship with Grandma Cora then that should be my choice, or if I want to try studying in that writing academy for a year then that's my choice."

"Listen, kiddo, don't take this the wrong way but… you're young, _and smart_,_and amazing_; but really young. Right now you think you know what's best for you but that isn't always the case. I'm sure your mom has her reasons for keeping you in DC and for moving you from Maine and from Boston. You have to trust in her, trust that she's doing her best by you. Trust that no matter what, she has your best interests at heart. Do you trust her, Henry?" Emma questioned.

Henry nodded his head without pause, a frown marring his features as he wondered what her point would be.

"Then you need to apologize to her. And if you still need to know about all those times she had you move then you should ask her. When I was young all I ever wanted was a mother; someone who would yell at me when I did bad, praise me when I did well, someone who'd push me to be my very best. Someone to just loved me, really really loved me, faults and all. Regina is that person for you and one day I want to be that for you too. I know I just came into your life, well maybe it's been three years, but that's still extremely recent. And I don't know what to do or say sometimes, I don't know how you like your bacon. I don't know the name of your first grade teacher that you had a crush on. I don't know all the things you're allergic to, but I want to. And for me to know that it'll take time.

Just the same way that'll it'll take time for your mom to forgive you, because Henry you said something that was really hurtful today, but if you take the steps now then your relationship will definitely improve. Do you trust me?"

"I do."

"Then let's go back and talk with your mother, okay?" Emma asked.

"What about New York?" Henry asked after a short pause. Emma shrugged her shoulders and turned the key in the ignition. After pulling out from the shoulder and back onto the road she turned to him.

"That's up to you now, I guess. Because, technically she gave you her blessing."

Henry nodded his head at this and looked out the window on his side of the car, effectively ending the conversation. Emma hoped he took her words to heart.

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><p><strong>So some people said they wanted to see a conversation between Henry and Emma so here it is!<strong>

** This is a little companion piece and I might keep adding to it depending on how people feel about it. ****_The Art of Letting Go_**** is going be told solely from Regina's POV so I figured that all other POVs could be put here. Let me know what you think and good day.**

**Remember updates for ****_The Art Of Letting Go_**** are every Tuesday.**

**Also this is rated M just in case I decide to throw in steamy bits between other characters... namely Emma one of her love interests.**


	2. Chapter 2

The first time he saw her was at the farmer's market his mate John had organized and not, as she thought, at that rinky-dink bar.

That day she wore a black pencil skirt paired with a loose red silk blouse. At first glance he'd thought she was a teacher of some kind as she ushered a group of women and children behind her, which was a bit ridiculous seeing as it was summer and school was out but he figured she could be a summer camp director of some kind. He hadn't been close enough to hear what she was saying but he thought she had to be a person of some importance with the way she held her charges rapt attention.

He was only able to catch a small glimpse of her smile before Roland pulled him off to find the apples.

He hoped, fleetingly, that he might spot her again if only for another chance to see her radiant smile.

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><p>The night he'd seen her at the bar he knew it must have been fate. He always thought of himself as a rational man but he couldn't help thinking of his parents own romantic tale as he drank in the sight of her.<p>

Theodore Locksley had met his mother, Ruth Cornwell, about a dozen times before he'd ever even made a move on her. Of course his courage had come too late as his mother was already engaged to another fellow at the time. It took seven years and the death of her first husband to bring them back together, all that time his father resigned himself to a life alone not knowing he'd meet the woman of his dreams again while working as a field hand for her father. They ran away from Little Hangleton and made their home in Little Whinging where Robin was born and raised until he'd gone off to Uni and met his sweet Marian.

He'd learned from his parents story and had jumped headfirst into his relationship with Marian and then, subsequently, into his grief over her departure. But that part of his life seemed more and more like a dream every day and if he didn't have Roland with him he'd think it actually was.

So he was over Marian, a truth that caused him more than his fair share of unease, hence why he had been preparing to drink himself blind. But then he'd seen her again. Her eyes, filled with a torrent of emotion, called to him and he found himself drowning again at the sight of her.

He wouldn't let the chance slip by him again.

And that was how he'd found himself pumping his hips into her like a man possessed as she mewled and scratched at him. As she came undone around him he felt something inside him shift as if he was jumping from a great height and then, he too, came with a growl.

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><p>Roland liked her. A lot.<p>

The three of them had gone to the bakery down the block from his flat, leaving John to scavenge for breakfast in his only half stocked refrigerator.

Regina regaled Roland with tales of magic wielding queens and fire breathing dragons all the way there. All the while the young boy held her hand in favor of his own and Robin knew with certainty that he needed this woman in their lives. He'd never seen his son open up to anyone the way he did with her and the way she looked then, animatedly talking with Roland, was much different from the haunted look she'd had when she'd walked into The Soggy Siren the night before. Or her tortured look whenever she had to mention her own son.

He hoped, once they finally parted ways on that day, that things between Regina and her son Henry would work out.

And, if by some twist of fate, things didn't work out that she'd still allow him and Roland into her life.

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><p>When she called him sobbing he'd went to a frenzied panic. Where was she? Should he call the police? Did someone hurt her? Had someone hurt Henry?<p>

"What happened, Regina? Please talk to me," he'd pleaded as he paced his bedroom.

"Can I spend a few days there?" She'd asked her voice thick with clotted tears and saliva.

He nodded and then shook his head, she couldn't see him.

"Of course, Regina. Do you remember how to get here? Do you want me to pick you up? Give me your address. I'll call Little John to come sit with Roland until I get back," he said quickly, her hiccupping sobs killing him.

"No, I remember," she'd stated softly before hanging up. It took her about twenty minutes to get there. He'd spent most of it wracking his brain over what could have happened. Obviously it had to do with Henry but try as he might he might he couldn't think of what could have possibly happened to get her to crying like that. Those deep, guttural sobs. He'd only cried like that once before, himself. The day Marian...

A soft knock from his front door threw him from his thoughts. He rushed as fast as his feet would carry him to the front door. Once he had it opened he pulled Regina and her small suitcase inside. He let her drop her bag next to the door before he pulled her into a tight hug. She broke down then, crying into his chest as she told him of her argument with Henry.

His last words sent a white hot rage through Robin. How could the boy be so cruel?

Robin wasn't a stranger to teenage rebellion, he'd given his parents hell in those years and caused his mother more tears than he cared to admit but he couldn't at all understand Henry's feelings.

Sure he'd only known her just short of a week but he had enough sense to know that Regina was a wonderful woman and mother. She was perfect with Roland and he couldn't imagine she was any different with her own child, if not a bit more loving and accommodating because of the simple fact that Henry was hers.

It must, he concluded, have been the influence of his birth mother. Curse that woman for bringing such strife into his sweet Regina's life.

"I just... need sleep," she murmured finally. Robin led her to his bedroom and helped her get comfortable. As he lay holding her sleeping form that night he promised himself that if nothing else he'd make sure that all her time spent with him and Roland would be filled with joy.

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><p>He couldn't let her stay any longer. She'd already let him know that Henry hadn't left yet and was waiting patiently for a conversation with her. He wanted to keep her with him and Roland, there was no pain here. Just a little boy who adored her and his father who felt much the same. If not more. Which by all accounts was crazy.<p>

Little John had even cautioned him to slow things down. The problem was that Robin didn't really know how to. He'd been the same with Marian. Once he'd seen her lost in East London he knew she was the woman he was going to marry. She was from Canada studying Computer Science at Oxford and him taking a semester break from his studies at Cambridge. He'd proposed to her five months later and it was only after the promise of a long engagement that accepted.

They'd moved to the States at her insistence and then he'd started his company and later they'd been expecting Roland.

It was just hard for him to curb his enthusiasm in regards to Regina. He knew without a doubt when he'd met Marian that she was the woman for him, but that was the old him. A version of himself that didn't really exist anymore.

The man he was today was different, a father who was more secure in himself, and he just knew that Regina was the woman for the him that he was now, if that made sense. The only problem was that he'd seemed to come into her life when she already had more than enough on her plate. So he'd take it slow... or as slow as he could, for her.

But first and foremost things with Henry had to be reconciled.

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><p>She didn't call him that Friday night or Saturday and by Sunday he was at his wits end. Roland was sullen and irritable because his 'Rey' wasn't around. Robin was feeling much the same. He vowed that if she hadn't contacted him come Monday evening he was going to make it his business to find her come Tuesday morning. It was a good thing he was his own boss and made his own hours because he had a feeling he'd have to take some real time off if what he thought had happened had in fact happened.<p>

It wasn't until two weeks into September that he saw her again, sitting in Meiwah Restaurant, a place her often frequented because of Roland's love of Chinese spaghetti, talking with two blond women. She was smiling and laughing but he could tell that they weren't real. How could they be when her son was no longer living with her? This he was certain of, what with the way she'd systematically ignored and avoided him.

He told himself to leave her alone, if she wanted him she would have called but he knew, as sure as the sun would set and rise again, he needed to talk to her. Just to see if she was okay, just to hear her voice.

It was Roland, however, who'd made it to her side first, once he spotted her from the very front of the place he jetted to her side. Crying out her name to get her attention, the young boy threw himself into her arms without pause. Her friends gave her puzzled looks while her own face twisted with some mix of longing and fear Robin had never seen before. He supposed the fear was because of the confrontation they both knew was coming. Obviously wherever Roland was Robin was sure to follow.

"Regina," he murmured softly as he came up behind her.

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><p><strong>So here it is. I need to be better with following my own schedules but I was just itching to put this up tonight. I hope ya'll enjoy it.<strong>

**Drop me a line and let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning to the wise, this will be relatively short.**

**And, as always, any mistakes are my own and I apologize.**

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><p>Emma watched Henry out the corner of her eye, trying and failing to keep her focus on the road ahead of them. He hadn't spoken since they'd gotten on the road and she couldn't for the life of her think of anything to say that could fix this situation.<p>

They'd left DC behind hours ago and were just entering into New Jersey. She pulled off into a rest stop to get some snacks, hoping that that might help Henry loosen up. She couldn't say what he might be thinking, if anything. She, herself, had spent the past three or so hours trying to make sense of the conversation that had led to this.

She felt like she was kidnapping him, and in a way she was. No matter how much she regretted giving him up, Henry belonged with Regina. Probably now more than ever.

But now, because of her damned meddling, he was running away with her to New York. Sure Regina had consented and given her all the documentation she'd need to get Henry situated, but it didn't make any of this feel any less wrong.

"Hey, kiddo. I got you a cinnabon," Emma said softly as she slid back into the driver's seat. Henry offered her a tight smile before taking it and sitting it on his lap. She sighed, defeated.

"You have to eat something, kid," she grumbled, taking a bite of her soft pretzel. He nodded slowly and opened the lid, the smell of cinnamon wafted through the air, filling her car with a certain type of warm. To Emma it smelled kinda like Regina's home baked treats. Henry must have been thinking the same thing because he instantly closed the lid, tears steadily flowing down her rounded cheeks.

"We can go back, Henry. We can still fix this," Emma said, frowning and putting her own snack in her lap. He shook his head furiously and turned to look out the window.

"She's a liar," he muttered. Emma sighed and turned to look out the windshield blindly. Shaking her head, she pulled out of her parking space and set out to continue on the road, with toxic silence as her only companion.

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><p>Henry loved Neal instantly. And he took a peculiar liking for Killian as well.<p>

The four of them spent Henry's first few days going to every touristy spot and taking pictures with him. It seemed to be lifting the boy's spirits. Emma was happy too, to see him actually talking and eating like regular. Well, maybe not _regular_. He ate smaller portions than she'd ever seen him take and his smiles weren't always real but she supposed it was progress.

He spoke to Neal and Killian about his adventures in DC and gushed about his home and friends there, neglecting to ever mention Regina. And, despite how much rapt attention they paid her son, she knew them both well enough to know that they were storing their questions for her for later. She had already told them a bit about Regina and Henry's falling out but she left out all the more torrid details.

Despite how much fun she pretended to be having, Emma was miserable. Regina avoided her calls like the plague the first week and she found herself texting the woman every single picture of Henry she had taken, hoping it would spur the woman into finally calling her back. She was desperate to apologize.

She couldn't help feeling like the whole ordeal was her fault and it weighed heavy on her.

"Emma?" Neal called from the living room. Emma shifted on the bed and called out to let him know where she was. Killian had taken Henry out for burgers and, like clockwork, Neal was here to bother her. When one was occupying Henry the other always seemed to find her. It was getting tiring.

"Emma, are you alright?" Neal asked, stepping into the room to find Emma with her head in her hands as she sat hunched over on her bed.

Emma shook her head and sighed heavily.

"I ruined her life, Neal. I took Henry away and ruined her life," she murmured softly. Neal slid next to her and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders, pulling her to lean against him. Emma sobbed quietly and shook her head once more.

"I fucked up," she groaned.

"Em… this isn't your fault. You told me, yourself that Henry and Regina have had a strained type of relationship since before you even came into the picture. Whatever happened was probably a long time coming," Neal assured her, rubbing her hand up and down her arm soothingly.

"You don't understand, Neal. You weren't there. I… we hurt her and now Henry probably hates her because he thinks she's been lying to him," Emma said shakily.

"Maybe she has?" Neal reasoned.

"I don't think she is, Neal. Regina may be a lot of things but I've never took her for a liar. She's always supportive of Henry and I just… I don't know what to think. I wanted parents so bad, Neal. You know that… and it seemed like she got maybe the worse ones out there. I feel bad and I don't know how to fix this," Emma admitted, sitting up and moving slightly away from him to wipe her eyes.

"I think Henry just needs time, Em. We talked a lot when I took him to the Met and he has a lot on his mind. Let him work things out on his own and he'll find a way to fix things if that's what he wants to do," Neal said confidently. Emma looked at him and smiled slightly at the look on his face. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek just as the front door swung open.

"Swan?" Killian called.

"Mom?" Henry called along with him. Emma waved Neal out and stood, wiping her face. She looked down at her cell when she was alone and thought to call Regina one last time for the day.

"Ms. Swan," Regina's hard voice answered.

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><p>After their first talk Emma made sure to call Regina as often as possible with updates on Henry. Every time she called it seemed to her that Regina was doing better. She could hear the smile in her voice and sometimes she was sure she even heard the laughter of a little boy in the background.<p>

It had been two months and Henry was already settling nicely into school. He seemed to love all the extracurriculars offered at his school and he began spending more time with his new friends than with her, which was just as well. She all 'touristed' out and wanted to focus instead on getting back to work. Her break was long over and all she had to do was pick the day she wanted to get back to work, loving that her job as an assistant director of one of the most used security firms in the city allowed her such freedom.

She made sure that, if nothing else, she ate dinner with Henry every night just the same way that Regina did. She figured he needed something familiar still and she didn't mind doing it for him. She rather enjoyed it. It made her seem like a real mom. Now if she could only learn to cook a home cooked meal without having to order out or have a fire extinguisher on hand then she'd be in the money.

As it was life was slowing down and she liked where it was going. Things with Neal and Killian had gotten better too. The two of them had proposed a three-way type of relationship and, even though she wasn't sure exactly how they'd work things out, she had accepted. She loved them both equally so for it seemed perfect.

Yeah, life was good.

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><p>November first they argued, Henry and her.<p>

She noticed, in the middle of October, he'd started acting very out of character and she'd begun getting calls from his school that he was skipping class at an alarming rate. She didn't share this information with Regina, hoping that she could just talk to him and fix whatever problems he seemed to be having. She thought maybe he was acting out because he wanted to go back home but didn't know how to say it.

She took work off early that day and had gotten the shock of her life to find him on her couch, making out with some… boy who seemed far too old for Henry to even know him.

The boy introduced himself as Peter after a tense moment. Emma quickly ushered him out of her home and turned with burning eyes to her son.

"Is this what you've been doing instead of going to school?" she asked tensely. Henry '_hmmped_' and stood to go to his room, ignoring her question.

"Henry, don't you… don't walk away from me what I'm talking to you, okay? I just want to understand what's going on with you?" she asked, running her fingers nervously through her hair. Henry turned shrugged his shoulders at her nonchalantly.

"Nothing's going on with me. I'm fine," he muttered, his eyes wandering over the room to avoid her gaze.

"Seriously, Henry? You know you can tell me anything… is that boy making you do things you don't want to?" she asked softly. Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked after a moment.

"Anything, Henry," she said with a slight smile.

"How did you find me?" he asked softly. Emma fidgeted for a moment before sighing.

"I didn't, actually. Regina tracked me down," Emma stated. Henry nodded his head and blinked away his tears.

"I thought so. So no one wants me, huh?" he muttered as he turned to leave the room.

"Henry!" she cried, shocked at his words. How could he think that?

"Of course people want you. I want you, I love you. And Neal and Killian. And your mom, Henry. She told me that you weren't in a good place and she thought meeting me would help you get better. I was so excited because I never thought I'd ever see you again," Emma explained. Henry turned suddenly, eyes aflame.

"Then why didn't you look for me yourself? If you love me so much why didn't you ever come for me?" Henry asked, his head cocked to the side. Emma licked her lips and stuttered for a moment, trying to think of the right answer.

"I… I thought of it once, Neal thought I should but I-I wasn't ready at the time. You were probably nine or eight when he suggested it," Emma said finally. Henry grunted and nodded his head in understanding.

"So if my… if she didn't look for you would you have ever come to find me?" he asked calmly.

"Probably not," Emma said, honestly. Henry's face crumbled after a short second. She moved quickly to gather him in her arms, only to be pushed away.

"Don't- don't touch me," he hissed before rushing into his room and slamming the door closed.

Emma stood before it for a long moment before sliding to sit beside it.

"Henry, you have to believe me. I love you and you mean so much to me. I didn't always think that I could be the type of mother you needed but I know now that I can. So can Regina, don't push us away," she pleaded.

She sat there for hours just waiting for him to open the door until eventually she felt herself drifting off. When she woke, hours later, he was gone.

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><p><strong>Don't hate me! Obviously as this is an AU Henry and Peter are not at all related.<strong>

**Also the show hasn't said anything about Henry having any type of relationship with anyone in his own age range or anyone outside of his family and I wanted to give him something. He's at the age, I think, when a lot of people are really just stepping into their own as far as their sexuality goes and I wanted to try and explore that a bit with him.**

**As far as Henry and Peter's relationship goes you'll see more into it in the next Companion Piece entry.**

**Drop me a line and let me know what you think, thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

**So? Huh? Angsty enough for you?!**

**I hope you guys like this chapter, not my best work for sure but it's much better than last week's. A lot had to happen in this chapter and I tried to space it out as best as I could in the two hours I had to write this.**

**Drop me a line and let me know what you think.**

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><p>The first night he woke up screaming.<p>

Sounds of gunshots and his mother's screaming his name over and over pounding in the back of his skull, remnants of his dream haunting him in the early hours of the morning. Emma was there, an orange robe thrown around her shoulders as she stood panting in his doorway. Behind her, Killian stood looking into the room anxiously, trying to spot any sort of intruder.

"Henry, is everything okay?" Emma asked softly, scooting to sit by his side in his slim twin bed. She sat rubbing his back as he trembled, trying and failing to calm himself down. Every time he blinked all he could see was his mother bleeding on top a fallen Christmas tree, pieces of glass ornaments stinking from her skin like they were growing out of her.

"Henry, mate… was there someone in here with you?" Killian asked, his voice full of concern. Henry shook his head mutely, his eyes wide and watering.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Killian can take the couch," Emma offered gently. No, he didn't want to share a bed with her, especially if the sounds he heard from her room whenever Killian or his father spent the night were anything to go by.

"I… I just need a drink of water," he explained with a watery smile. Emma nodded, her eyes still creased with worry, before turning to ask Killian to get said cup. Once the dark haired man was gone she turned back to Henry and gripped his hand tightly between her own.

"You know you can tell me anything, Henry, right?" Henry nodded silently in response.

"Do you want to go back? It's not too late," she offered. Henry shook his head and turned away from her to look out the window. Lights from the still awake city played upon the glass, making his room like disco.

"I don't want to go back, ever. I'm just… scared about my first day of school," he lied. The truth was… he didn't want to be here anymore but he didn't want to go back to DC either. He wished there was a way for him to have a break from both of his mothers. Emma tried to spend every waking moment with him and he felt smothered both under her and the memory of his other mother, whose face often popped into his head.

"Do you want to not go in tomorrow? I can take you out after work and you can spend the day with Neal, he has the day off," she suggested. Henry shook his head and sighed before offering her a soft smile.

"I'm going to have to do it eventually. I might as well start on the same day as everyone else," he answered just as Killian came back in with a tall glass of water. Henry took it with a whispered thanks before gulping it all down.

"I'm going back to sleep," he mumbled. Emma nodded and left with Killian, closing the door behind her.

"Why did you ask him if anyone was in the room with him?" Emma asked behind the door, walking towards her room with Killian following after her.

"He called out someone's name," Killian shrugged.

"What was the name?"

"Sidney," he responded.

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><p>Henry stood outside the guidance office, waiting to be called in. He was supposed to meet with the same woman he'd met with in the summer, Ms. Goines, before heading to his first class. Luckily for him he'd already mapped out his way to all his classes when he'd visited the school before so he wouldn't get lost. He'd taken the precaution with hopes that his slight anxiety could be alleviated.<p>

"Are you new?" a voice beside him asked. He looked over and saw tall dark skinned boy standing to his right, books piled up in his muscular arms.

"Is it that noticeable?" Henry asked with a slight grimace. The boy laughed hartily and nodded his shaved head before patting Henry on the back good naturedly.

"Yeah but no worries, we all looked like you do now. I'm Lance by the way, you?" Lance asked, offering his hand to Henry to shake. Henry shook it and smiled.

"Henry," he answered. Lance nodded and grinned down at him and leaning further back on the wall.

"So which one are you here to see?" he asked, gesturing his head towards the guidance office.

"Uh… Goines," Henry said quickly.

"Oh man, good luck with her. She's a real… charmer," Lance joked as the bell rang. A tall blond boy patted him on the shoulder as he ran down the hall and towards class.

"Save me a seat, Art!" Lance yelled behind him. The blond gave him a thumb up before rushing in the already packed stairwell. Lance turned back to face Henry with a reassuring smile.

"Hey, I hope to see you later. If not then I hope you have a good day, kid," Lance said before rushing in the same direction as his friend. Henry watched him go before sighing and letting his shoulders droop. Maybe he should have taken the day off.

"Mills?" a bushy haired brunet woman asked, her head popping out from behind the office door.

"That's me," Henry said, pulling himself off the wall and his backpack up from between his legs.

"Nice to meet you, I'm one of the student advocates here, Ms. Granger. Come with me," she said with a kind smile.

Henry smiled and followed after her.

* * *

><p>His first day was good. He liked his school and he even had the same lunch period as Lance and a few of his friends which was a definite plus. He learned that this was Lance's senior year and he had already been accepted into a dozen schools and that he had still filled up with schedule with extra AP classes for the heck of it.<p>

His friends were cool too. There was Arthur, or Art as everyone called him. He was a rich kid from the Upper East Side that came from old money. His sister, Morgana, was a bit scary with her dark brooding manner. Gwen was Lance's childhood friend and ex-girlfriend who Art seemed to have the biggest crush on.

After school he met Merlin, a skinny black haired boy, who seemed clumsier than he thought anyone probably had any business being. And there was Gwaine and Percy, who were more Arthur's than Lance's.

They all invited him out with them to a pizzeria they seemed to hang out in after school and he was egger to spend more time with his new friends. That was, until Peter showed up.

He walked in and sat next to Gwen immediately, the dark skinned girl rolled her eyes and put as much distance between the two as she could.

"Who's that?" Henry asked as Arthur followed after Gwen and stood between her and Peter who was grinning rather maliciously.

"That's Peter, the bastard. He's what we call a 'super-senior'. Meaning he should have graduated ages ago," Morgana answered with a scowl as said boy turned towards them and winked in their direction.

"Stay away from him," Lance said firmly before gathering his things and his slice of pizza.

"Let's go," he mumbled. Gwen and Arthur were the first out, followed by Merlin and Percy who were talking about some video game they both wanted. Gwaine rolled his eyes but followed after them.

"Are you coming, Henry? We're going to the park, to hang out some more," Lance said, his dark eyes shifting to look over at Peter who sat watching them with rapt interest. Henry shook his head and gathered his things.

"I should probably head home, actually. My mom gets off early and she'll be worried if I don't show up," Henry explained, trying to avoid the eyes that watched him from across the room. Lance nodded and gestured for him to follow him out the door.

"Nice seeing you, Lance. And you too, new kid," Peter said as they passed him. Once outside and halfway down towards the train that would take him home Lance finally turned to face him.

"Listen, Henry. You can do anything you want but… you should stay away from Peter. He's a conniving little shit, you hear me? He uses people and he's into some really bad things. Take care of yourself, okay?" Lance asked. Henry nodded and watched the older boy run in the direction his other friends had taken.

Henry watched him go before turning to walk back to the train. When he'd finally gotten onto the platform he found himself face to face with the same person every one of his new friends seemed to hate.

Peter smiled wickedly down at him and backed him up against the wall behind him.

"Hello there, fresh meat," Peter snickered. Henry rolled his eyes and tried to extract himself from underneath the older boy.

"Trying to leave already? Let me give you a parting gift then," Peter whispered before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Henry's mouth. Henry's eyes widen and he sputtered in outrage as Peter rushed off to the other end of the platform.

Henry watched the boy warily as his train came. He stepped on and glared as Peter waved bye.

* * *

><p>In school he spent most of his time with Lance and his friends, while after school he snuck off to see Peter. At first it had been so he could confront the older boy about the kiss but as he spent more time with him he realized how much he actually liked him. Peter had a way of talking that made Henry feel like he was older than his actual age.<p>

He talked about philosophy and had a real love for all things that had to do with the human mind. He wanted to study it, find out all the secrets of it. Henry admired him for it, he didn't have any idea what he wanted to do with his life but Peter seemed to have it all figured out.

Sometimes they just sat silently doing their homework together and other times Peter held his hand as he showed him the hidden treasures of the city. By his second week of school he'd seen more of Brooklyn than he ever thought he would and he was starting to fall in love with Peter's neighborhood in Red Hook. And it probably had more to do with his slight infatuation with the boy who came from there than he cared to admit.

At school he avoided Peter like the plague, hoping Lance wasn't too suspicious about his excuses to not hang out with them after school. He usually blamed it on his mother's overprotective nature but in all honesty he hadn't been spending any time with her outside of dinner at night. And sometimes not even then, finding himself spending longer stretches of time with Peter.

If Emma found it at all odd she didn't say anything. She seemed more than happy to spend more time with Killian and Neal, sometimes both of them at the same time. But he tried not to judge his mother's odd relationship what with his own with Peter getting more and more physical every time they saw each other.

All in all everything seemed to be getting better for him, he thought he might even be able to call him mother and apologize soon.

His nightmares had even stopped.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lance!" he called as he entered the cafeteria. The table that he usually sat at, which was usually the loudest in the whole cafeteria, was dead silent. Lance sat next to Art, his back turned to Henry even when he stood right behind them.<p>

"Guys, did something happen?" he asked, nervously, watching how even Gwen and Merlin seemed to be ignoring is presence. The later turned to him with an apologetic frown before gesturing to Morgana's phone. One the screen there was a picture of Henry and Peter holding hands and sitting side by side on the train. It was from the night before when Peter had taken him all the way home after taking around Staten Island. It had been well after eleven when he'd finally gotten home but thankfully Emma had to work late so she had been none-the-wiser.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Percy spotted you two last night," Morgana said with a sneer. Henry looked quickly to said boy and glared at him with as much anger as he could muster.

"It's… not like that. And even if it is, that's my business," he grunted.

"Besides… Peter's not at all how you all seem to think he is. If you'd just get to know him," he started.

"Get to know him? What a laugh, like you _know _him? I've known Peter since I was a little girl!" Gwen shouted angrily, shoving Merlin's arms off of her so she could stand. She stalked over to him and stood in his face, her own face twisted with rage.

"Your boyfriend, that you know so damn well, is a rapist," she hissed before shoving him back. He fell to the ground hard and sputtered as her eyes snapped down at him like fire.

"Peter wouldn't…," he trailed off as Morgana rushed from the room with Arthur and Merlin rushing behind her. Gwen turned with concern before rushing out after them. The tables around them sat silently watching them before going back to minding their own business. Lance stood and helped Henry up before folding sighing and rubbing his short hair.

"I told you to stay away from him… I didn't think I had to say why. Henry, I'm sorry about that, I am. But it's true. You shouldn't trust him," he muttered. Henry shook his head and stepped back.

"It's… Peter wouldn't," he muttered before leaving the cafeteria and heading to the class room he knew Peter would be in. He knocked on the back door and gestured for the older boy to come into the hallway. His teacher looked up curiously to see the commotion but shrugged when he saw it was just something with Peter, his least favorite student.

"What's going on?" Peter asked when he'd finally stepped into the hall.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a… a… rapist!" Henry hissed between clenched teeth.

"What? Henry, where did you hear that from?" Peter asked, his face beginning to flush.

"Gwen, I can't believe you!" Henry said, trying to shove him away.

"Of course… listen, Henry. I'm not a rapist, okay? Calm down!" Peter ordered, pulling to younger male into his arms.

"Get off of me!" Henry shouted angrily as Peter pulled him closer.

"Morgana and I… we had sex once, okay? She cried and stuff after but I swear I didn't do anything she wasn't asking me for! She was ashamed afterwards though, because she had been dating Merlin at the time," Peter explained as Henry began to calm in his arms.

"I didn't rape her, I swear. She just told every one of our friends that because she didn't want to seem like the whore she was," Peter sneered. Henry pulled back and looked up at him, his watery eyes searching.

"I swear, Henry. I swear, I would never do something like that," Peter murmured before pressing a soft kiss on his lips. Henry nodded and pressed his face into Peter's shirt.

"Oh, how sweet. Do you think you'll be making it back to class anytime today, Peter?" Mr. Falcone, his teacher, asked.

Peter shook his head and pulled down the hall behind him, his eyes flashing with rage as he went.

That stupid bitch was going to get hers. She should have done a better job keeping her mouth closed.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is part one of a two part chapter.<strong>

**Part two will probably be up tomorrow or Sunday.**

**Drop me a line and let me know what you think so far.**


	5. Chapter 4 Part 2

Morgana has an accident the following Tuesday. Someone pushes her down the steps in the stairwell with the broken camera. She breaks her leg, her wrist, and has a concusion. But the damage is far better than it could have been.

If she'd broken her neck or something like that…

When Henry tries to give his condolences to Arthur he's ignored. No… not ignored, because Arthur does turn to look at him, glares with twitching fingers. And when Henry gets to the 'I'm really sorry…' part Lance his holding back Arthur from pouncing on him.

Gwen says it's because he's opened his damned mouth to that 'monster'. So Henry leaves, though Lance invites him out to talk later. Says that there's still hope if he'll just come talk.

Henry doesn't go, instead he spends the rest of the afternoon exploring Queens with Peter. Laughing and eating all kinds of foods he'd never thought to try before. Peter has friends all over and whenever the pass one of them by Peter stops and introduces him. Henry feels kinda like a girl being shown off by her boyfriend but… Peter is his boyfriend so he doesn't mind too much.

* * *

><p>Emma catches them kissing in the house and they argues. He's just tired of all the adults around him, constantly keeping things from him.<p>

Why hadn't she told him that she hadn't looked for him? Did she even love him or was she feeling guilty about having given him up and saw this as her chance to make up for lost time?

It hurts to think that she hadn't really wanted to meet him like he'd wanted to meet her. It hurts to think that his other mother, who he's called all sorts of cruel, was the person who made his dream of meeting his birth mother come true. He sits in his room thinking of all his talks with Killian and his father where he's made her out to be some kind of witch.

Where his anger had gotten hold of him and say things that no child should say about the parent. And he feels… like the worst person to have ever lived.

So he sneaks off that night, ready to catch a bus back to DC and beg her forgiveness but instead he runs into Neal, who's coming from work. They spend the night in the courtyard, talking about their parents. He finds out he has a living grandfather who his father ran away from when he was young. And Neal… he regrets not finding his father and apologizing to him for giving him such a hard time growing up.

He convinces Henry to stay for just a little longer, for the sake of Emma and then, in winter break, to visit his mother and apologize to her.

_"__A child knows not their parents heart,"_ Neal says as the sun begins to wash the sky in shades of golds and pinks.

* * *

><p>He has dreams every night now. Every single one of them is filled with terror. Sometimes his mother stands with a knife in her hand, staggering towards him. Sometimes she looks dead and the gun in his hand is hot, burning his skin. The screams are constant, though. Along with the laughter.<p>

He looks up Sidney Glass at school and finds that he's been missing since the winter of his ninth year.

He wonders where they hid the body.

Can distinctly remember his mother and G-dmother dragging a large black plastic bag out of their house and to the trunk of Mallory's car.

And being cold. Really cold.

* * *

><p>Screams followed him everywhere he went. Every single step brought back the haunting voice of his mother calling his name. Mixed in with the screams was laughter, cackling really. Every waking moment found him trembling, trying to will the noises away. The only one who seemed to notice was Peter, but then again that was really his own fault. He'd stopped talking to Lance and his friends after Peter's confession. He couldn't bear seeing all their lying faces. That's what he told Peter, anyway.<p>

In reality, he felt like a fool. In school students looked at him with silent sympathy as he passed them in the halls. Most of the teachers paid little attention to him, the new kid, who seemed far too interested with his own drama then in their classes.

At first it had all unnerved him. Made him feel as if he was covered in some type of syrup that only attracted the worst kind of people to him. He figured that Sidney was dead, as dead as a damn doorknob, how he wasn't sure. But he'd dreamt of the man lying in a pool of his own blood, a terrifying smile stretching his tanned face post mortem. And his mother's screams flowed through his brain every might and even most waking moments.

He wasn't sure who had killed him but he got the distinct feeling that he'd deserved it. Seeing his lifeless body in the seconds before the screams started filled him with a kind of perverse joy. Like he'd done the right thing. But he'd never killed anyone before… maybe. He wasn't so sure anymore.

"Lovely, what are you thinking of now?" Peter asked, his back pressed against the headboard of his king sized bed. In his lap was a book on fairytales that he seemed rather fond of. He said his father had written it before his passing.

"Fine," Henry murmurs in response, a slight smile on his ashen face. He hasn't been eating lately, everything looks like worms and he can't stomach the idea of putting any of it in his mouth.

"Are you sure? You look tense," Peter asks, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he set the book aside and crawls towards Henry.

"Maybe I can help you relax?" he inquires, pressing light kisses along Henry's brow.

"Uh- no. I'm fine. Just tired," Henry says firmly, moving to shift back up the bed. Peter pulls him closer and begins placing open mouth kisses along his neck, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Come on, stop being such a prude, Henry," he mutters against the younger boys skin. Henry jerks and tries to extricate himself from Peter's tight grasp.

"You're hurting my wrist," he grumbles, his movements becoming more and more urgent as Peter begins holding him tighter.

"Am I? Well then maybe you should calm down," Peter orders, continuing his slow decent down Henry's neck, licking him in between kisses. Henry shutters and closes his eyes tightly against the onslaught, wanting to be anywhere but there. He slips his over arm out from under Peter's weight and tries to grab on to something, anything to stop this from going any further. To his surprise and relief the book, with its hard edges meets his grasping fingers.

"Peter, please," he groans, feeling flushed as he tries to grab ahold of the book, his fingers come short.

"That's what I like to hear, just let me take care of you," Peter murmurs softly with a confident smile, letting go of Henry's wrist to instead begin unbuttoning his shirt. Henry reached overhead at the book and sobs with relief when his fingers wrap around the spine of it. He pulls it down, unto the back of Peter's head, with as much force as he could. Hoping the edge of it is enough to stun him.

_Or kill him_, his subconscious whispers darkly.

The next moments are a flash of struggle. Teeth and nails biting into flesh, fabric ripping as the book is thrown from his hands into some corner of the room. He is desperate, in his ears he hears his mother's screaming and Sidney's laughter. Can see, instead of Peter in front of him, his mother looking broken lying utop of their fallen Christmas tree, glass ornaments sticking growing from her bleeding and bruised skin.

He fights with everything, his mother's screams urging him to fight harder. Eventually his hands find purchase, wrapping around Peter's neck like a vice. He can feel the older boy gasping for air above him, can feel when he eventually begins to slacken utop him. But he doesn't let go. Doesn't release him until his skin starts to turn blue and his eyes bug.

Then he is gone, rushing to gather his things and keep his fingers from touching anything else in the room. He takes the book too, scared somehow someone will see it and know what he's done. He looks at Peter's body, laying limply on the huge bed, the covers mussed up, and hopes that the boy isn't dead.

Even though he deserves it. Feels as if he's done the right thing.

* * *

><p>He doesn't know where to go. He'd been wandering around Lower Manhattan for nearly two whole days and he'd hungrier than he's ever been before. Colder and dirtier too. Snow slurries swirl around him as he makes his way down 102nd St and Park Ave. He doesn't really know where he's going but he knows he can't go home, either of them. The police are probably looking for him.<p>

He's a killer, twice now.

He's now sure that he's the one who killed Sidney. Can feel it in his gut just the same way he felt Peter slip out of the world under his fingertips.

He's dumped his cellphone but he wishes he had kept it long enough to message his mothers. He wants them to know he didn't mean to do it. That he was just trying to stay alive. That he was scared. That he always thought Sidney was a little weird, with the way he used to look at Regina. Or ask Henry to steal panties to give to him. And that he did steal them, because he wanted Sidney to like him.

All he wanted was a father and he's sorry.

So damn sorry that he'd going to die in this city and they may never know how much he loved them.

He's got enough money on him to get a room for two or three nights in a cheap hotel and get some Chinese food. Or a few slices of pizza.

Or a bus ticket. He has enough for a one way ticket but he hasn't got anywhere to go.

Except maybe… to a place he hasn't been since he was just a little boy.

The police won't look for him that far up, surely.

* * *

><p>And so he leaves.<p>

Dumping his backpack's contents to make way for the snacks he buys to hold him over. The closet he can get is Augusta but that's close enough. He'll walk the rest, if he has to. Or maybe he can hitchhike.

It doesn't matter either way.

He's on his way to Maine before he even has time to think of a different plan.

* * *

><p><strong>FINALLY!<strong>

**I've been dragging my feet to try and get out of writing this part two because… I didn't really feel like writing from Henry's perspective plus I kept trying to fit things in but I couldn't work it all out how I wanted.**

**So this is the result of that and I apologize for my slacking. A chapter for the main story should be up a little later today.**

**Drop me a line and let me know what you think.**


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